This invention relates generally to improvements in the art of inflatable articles, and more particularly to improvements in the construction of inflatable pillows of the type embodying valved access openings.
Emergency medical personnel often need to support a part of a patient's body during treatment and transport. Pillows are the item of choice, however, pillows are bulky and quickly take up the limited storage space within an emergency vehicle such as an ambulance or helicopter. Further, because of strict sanitation requirements, any pillow used for any reason must be either sterilized or disposed of before reuse. This means that a stock of pillows must be rotated or supplied to the emergency vehicle. Because of the limited space in the vehicle, the restocking of pillows must occur frequently, or the pillows must take up little space on the vehicle prior to use.
A storage problem for pillows is also seen in the travel industry. Whereas comfort items such as pillows, blankets and related items used to be plentiful and widely available for all on board, presently such items are commonly in scarce supply, especially in coach or economy class. Storage space previously allocated to items such as pillows and blankets has been usurped to hold baggage and other items carried on by passengers. Further, passengers may have concerns about the cleanliness of airline pillows.
Inflatable pillows solve the problem of storing bulky pillows. Unfortunately, such pillows are expensive, not easy or quick to fill and may not come with attached covers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,175,978 to Nizzi et al. discloses an inflatable pillow. However, the valve of the Nizzi pillow requires one to blow on a tube and then close the tube to prevent air leakage. This design presents several disadvantages. First, blowing on the tube by mouth is too unsanitary for some medical uses. Second, having to quickly close the inflation tube before the desired amount of air leaks out is overly time consuming in situations when seconds count. Third, the valve could be uncomfortable if one were to lie against it.
Nizzi also discloses a cover for an inflatable pillow. The cover is a sheet attached midway along one pillow seam, and then taped together at the opposite pillow seam. Thus, the cover loosely wraps around the pillow. This cover would not work well for persons that are restless because it could come off too easily.
There is therefore a need for a pillow which is suitable for use by emergency medical personnel, which pillow may be conveniently carried on-board an ambulance and take up minimal space when not in use. Similarly, there is a need in hospitals or shelters, or analogous locations during emergencies such as after a natural disaster, for a disposable pillow that stores compactly prior to use. Of course, such pillows may be used in spas, on the beach and on airplanes or the like. The pillow should be comfortable to use and should be pleasant to contact with the skin on the face and head. Such a pillow should provide a clean interface to the user. The pillow should be inexpensive so that, if desired, it may be disposed of after even only one use. Further, the pillow should be easy to use in an emergency situation.